(Jedi) Knight in Shining Armor
by Blandest of Usernames
Summary: Being the Countess of Clan Wren is very dangerous, and Ursa Wren knows it. That's why she has decided to make Sabine the next in line for Countess. Unfortunately for Sabine, custom dictates that the leader of a Clan must have a spouse and Sabine is going to be forced to marry someone, something she is NOT happy about. Luckily, Ezra has a plan to get her out...
1. Arrangements and Terrible Plans

A cold breeze blew softly across the Wren Stronghold on the ever-frigid planet of Krownest.

Sabine shivered. After spending time in the hot, dry climate of Atollon, it would take time for her to get used to the endless winter on Krownest.

Still, she could grin and bear the cold if it meant reconnecting with her family, her flesh and blood family.

Clan Wren had been surprisingly acceptive of Sabine, something that she attributed to her mother's influence and Sabine's victory over Gar Saxon with the Darksaber. She had seemingly proven herself to her old family, and it felt great to know that her mother and brother were on her side now.

Sabine sighed as she looked out onto the frozen lake where she had bested Saxon. She loved her biological family, but she desperately missed the Ghost crew, all of them.

She missed Kanan's stoic and wise demeanor, Hera's determination and understanding, Zeb's wisecracking and strength, she even missed Chopper and his cantankerous attitude.

She found herself missing Ezra the most out of all the crew members. Their relationship had gone from one of toleration on her part, and desperate pining on his, to one of incredibly close friendship. She trusted him with her life, and she knew he returned the trust. She missed his spirit, his sarcasm, his optimism, and most importantly, his utter devotion to her and his family. He had come a long way from the scrawny Loth rat who tried to flirt with her in the Ghost's gun turret.

" _My name's Ezra, what's yours?"_ his first words to her floated through her mind and she stifled a giggle.

She had to tease him about that, whenever they got the chance to talk again.

The door behind her suddenly opened and two pairs of footsteps approached.

Sabine turned to see her mother and Fenn Rau walk out.

"We figured we might find you out here," said Rau in greeting.

She smiled and nodded in return, "Mother, Fenn, what's going on?"

"Perhaps we should take this conversation inside," her mother suggested, a serious tone to her voice.

Sabine frowned. She knew that tone of voice and it was one that Ursa usually reserved for the most serious of situations.

She followed Ursa and Fenn back inside. Her mother began to lead them to the planning room.

"What's going on Fenn?" she whispered to the blue armored Mandalorian.

He shrugged, "To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what your mother has in store for us."

The door to the war room opened up, and the trio walked through into the empty room.

The door shut behind them and Sabine addressed her mother.

"Ok, Mom, what's going on? Are we finally going to the front lines?" she asked. She had been stuck at the Wren Stronghold for the most part of her stay. Mostly to reconvene with her family and to plan strategies. Sabine was good at it, but she was beginning to get antsy for a fight.

"No, this isn't about front line combat," said Ursa, "This is about your father."

Sabine stopped for a second and gaped at her mother, shock flooding through her system.

"Do we know where he is now?" she asked, hope flooding though her system.

She shook her head, "We don't know precisely where he is, but we have a lead. One of the clans on the Southern hemisphere of Mandalore is currently being split in its loyalties in this civil war. Some of their members contacted me about Alrich and how they have information on his whereabouts."

Sabine's eyes grew determined, "Great! Let's go and find him then!"

Sabine was surprised to see her mother shaking her head, "No Sabine, this mission is mine and mine alone, many on Mandalore still see you as a traitor. And the same goes for Fenn Rau. But all of Mandalore, even our enemies, respect Alrich.

Sabine's face dropped, "I understand Mom," she said sadly, "Is there anything else?" she asked.

She nodded, "Yes there is Sabine." She sighed and sat down.

"We are living in dangerous times Sabine, this mission of mine especially so, I may not return," she said.

"Don't even say that Mother, of course you'll return!" Sabine exclaimed.

Ursa gave a small smile, "Of course I will return Sabine, but I am not willing to take a chance on this matter. My death would leave Clan Wren leaderless, and it would be a massive blow to our stability and standing on all of Mandalore if we do not have a suitable replacement for me."

Sabine heart began to pound in her chest, "Mother?" she asked, the implications of what her mother was about to say already affecting her.

"Sabine Wren, my daughter, I officially proclaim you as the inheritor for the title of Countess of Clan Wren," Ursa declared.

"Mother, I-I don't know about this!" Sabine protested, "Wouldn't Tristan be the better choice? He knows Clan Wren better than I do!"

"Tristan does not have the Darksaber," pointed out Fenn Rau, speaking up for the first time.

Ursa nodded, "It would make no sense to keep the person who currently owns the Darksaber from becoming the leader of this clan."

Sabine's mind began working on overtime, trying to remember all the details of becoming the Countess of a Clan meant. Then a very important detail crossed her mind.

"Wait, a Countess needs a Count to rule over a Clan mother, to help further it's legacy," Sabine remembered, "And in case you didn't notice, I don't exactly have a Count."

"Which is why we need to find you one, and soon," said Ursa.

Sabine gaped at her mother, they were going to find one for her? Granted she had no idea who she would pick if she was put on the spot.

 _Probably Ezra,_ she thought to herself. Oh boy, if he caught wind of _that_ she would never hear the end of it.

"So, an arranged marriage?" she said through gritted teeth.

"It is for the greater good of the Clan, Sabine. I don't like this either, but far too much is depending on me, Clan Wren needs a worthy heir."

Sabine sighed, "I understand, but don't think for a second I will begin to accept this. Who do you have in mind to pawn me off too?"

"Actually, I believe I have a solution for this," said Rau, "A Count and a Countess are equals in the Mandalorian hierarchy, each supporting the other and making up for each other's weaknesses while also highlighting each other's strengths. Your Father may not be a warrior like your Mother, but his art and diplomatic skills were very useful in dealing with other clans and the Empire. Mandalore is looking for strength right now, so we need to find someone who is as strong as you are, someone who could match your strength and courage."

"So, what do you suggest Rau?" Ursa asked.

"The way us Mandalorians have always done things," he said with a wry smile, "A good old-fashioned fight."

"A tournament then!" declared Ursa.

Sabine rolled her eyes, "A tournament? Who would show up to something stupid like that?"

Fenn Rau chuckled, "You underestimate yourself Sabine. You are the heir to a very powerful clan now, and you have the Darksaber," Rau's grin widened, "And judging by Bridger's infatuation with you I'm going to guess that you aren't terribly unattractive either."

Sabine's face flushed slightly, and she groaned again.

This was not going to be fun.

* * *

" _They're making you do what now?"_ the voice of Hera Syndulla crackled through on the secure comm.

As soon as Sabine had left to the company of her mother and Fenn, she had immediately arranged for a call to Atollon. Hera had actually been the one to answer, and had promptly told Sabine that all the others are busy.

"They're going to hold a tournament, whoever wins gets to marry me," she repeated to Hera, frustrated, "I'm now the heir to my Mother's position, and Mandalorian tradition dictates that there must be a Count and a Countess when there is a leadership change." Sabine shrugged her shoulders hopelessly, "My Mother fears that she might not survive due to the war, and she wants me to lead in her place in case of an emergency."

Hera put her hand to her chin and looked at her sympathetically, "I'm sorry things are this way Sabine."

Sabine sighed, "I understand why Mother wants me to do this, and a part of me is very willing to go through with this one hundred percent," Sabine hesitated, "But another part of me is screaming to get out of here, abandon everything, and come back to the rebellion."

Hera gave her a look, "I get your feelings Sabine, but right now-,"

"Right now, I have a duty to Mandalore, I know Hera," Sabine cut her off, "I'm not going anywhere I assure you." Sabine looked down at Hera, "It just makes me miss the old days when it was just us Specters getting chased around the galaxy."

"Just keep your chin up Sabine, and if you need any advice or help, we're always available," Hera offered.

Sabine smiled, "I know you are." She shifted slightly on her feet, "So, how are you guys doing? I mean, how are the others?"

"Well, the others are out on a mission, I'm sort of on my own right now," she said with a chuckle, "Sato has got us running ragged right now."

"Another day in the rebellion?" asked Sabine.

Hera gave her a half smile, "Somewhat, we're just building up right now. Zeb actually found a few more survivors from Lasan."

"Really?" asked Sabine a bright smile appearing on her face, "I know he must have been really happy about that."

"He certainly was," said Hera, "Kanan is the same as before, though I swear every day he gets more and more mysterious."

"He's getting more and more like a Jedi?" she asked with a smirk.

Hera chuckled with her, "Something like that. Chopper is still Chopper of course, and Ezra-,"

She paused for a second and gave Sabine a tight smile, "He misses you, desperately."

Sabine smiled back, "I miss him a lot too Hera."

"I know you two were close and having someone around his age really meant a lot to him, he's been itching to visit Mandalore."

"Let him know I miss him too then, ok?" asked Sabine.

"Of course, Sabine."

"I'm gonna have to end it here Hera, Fenn's been trying to get me ready for this tournament and he told me that I wouldn't have much time for this call."

Hera nodded, "I understand, like I said, if you ever need anything, we're always here."

"I know Hera, and thank you, for everything," she replied.

Hera's hologram disappeared, and Sabine left the room to find Rau.

* * *

A red blaster bolt whizzed by Ezra, almost singing his short-cropped hair. Ezra raised his green blade to block the next one.

The team was currently stealing some fuel from an Imperial convoy that had strayed too far away from the mid-rim. Taking out its light escorts had been easy, especially with the rebellions ever enlarging fleet.

Getting the fuel from the transport ship was another matter entirely and there was stiff resistance to the rebel's incursion.

Another Stormtrooper went down hard as the distinct pang of Zeb's Bo-rifle sounded off behind him.

Ezra's comm crackled and the he heard the distinct sound of his master.

" _Ezra, we've got the fuel cannisters loaded, get out of there now!"_

"We're on it Kanan!" he replied, sending another blaster shot back to its sender.

"Alright everyone, pull back!" he yelled to Zeb and the rebel soldiers accompanying them.

One of the soldiers tossed a grenade at the stormtroopers. It went off in an orange explosion of light and threw the rest of the Imperial troops into cover.

 _But it wasn't as colorful as Sabine's,_ he noted in his head, then grunted to himself in frustration.

 _The mission Bridger, focus!_

Needless to say, running back to airlock where they had boarded the ship from was easy, the Empire didn't have the manpower to retake the corridors leading back to the rebel's strike craft.

Ezra was the last to enter, forcing some of the pursuing Imperials back and then he turned and ran inside.

The small rebel fleet detached form the smoking convoy and blasted back into hyperspace towards Atollon.

* * *

As soon as the group embarked onto Atollon's warm surface, they were greeted by Hera.

"Glad to see your mission was such a success," she complimented them.

Kanan shrugged, "Yeah, well, you know us, business as usual."

"I don't doubt it for a second," she said, "By the way I got some news while you were all out."

"What kinda news?" Zeb asked gruffly.

"Mandalore related news."

Ezra immediately perked up, "Sabine?" he asked, his excitement not getting lost on the crew.

Hera gave him a small smile, "Yes, it has to do with Sabine," her facial expression looked a little more apprehensive, "But I don't think you'll like what it is."

Ezra frowned, "What's wrong, is everything ok?"

"Sabine is fine, physically at least, but there's been a complication."

Hera went on to explain what Sabine had told her."

By the time she was done, the whole crew looked at her in shock.

"Karabast, that hardly seems fair to her," Zeb growled.

Kanan shook his head, unsmiling, "She can't be happy about this," he said in agreement with Zeb.

Ezra stayed silent, his mind whirling at a million miles an hour.

He immediately felt sadness and pangs of anger, forcing Sabine to do _anything_ , even if it was for the greater good was never a thing that she liked, and he couldn't imagine how annoyed she had to be.

But he was also sad because now he would never get to tell her what he really thought about her.

Ezra had come to love Sabine.

Of course, he was attracted to her, physically. She was beautiful in her own unique way and to the younger version of himself he had never met someone who was as divine as her.

But as he got to know her and as she began to trust him, his constant flirting with her died down, and Ezra became her best friend. Of course, he was still absolutely smitten with her, but now for more than just her looks. She was smart, sometimes scarily so, and quick on her feet. She oozed confidence and had an attitude that rivaled his. She was funny too, and shared his wicked sense of humor. But most importantly, she was such a colorful person, in her art and in everything she did.

She was perfect.

But now, she was going to get married, against her will, and Ezra would never ever have a chance to let her know his true feelings.

Ezra immediately scolded himself. Sabine had to be absolutely miserable right now and he was busy feeling sorry for himself. His attraction to her didn't matter right now, as her friend, he had to be there for her.

"Ezra, are you ok?"

He was pulled from his reverie at the sound of Hera's voice. He realized he had been spacing out.

He rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Sorry, I was just thinking about some things, I'm ok," he replied.

Hera gave him a look of sympathy, "Are you sure Ezra?"

He nodded, "I'm fine, really Hera, I just feel bad for Sabine, that's all."

Hera didn't look convinced, but she didn't say anything else and the crew began to talk about the mission.

Ezra nearly sighed in relief. His crush on Sabine had been well known throughout the crew (Kanan had told him not to let it distract him, Zeb and Chopper endlessly poked fun at him, and Hera thought it was sweet), but no one knew that his feelings went beyond a simple attraction into deeper feelings, though he sometimes thought that Kanan was beginning to suspect him.

* * *

Eventually the crew separated, and Ezra ended up in his shared room with Zeb.

Ezra began to pace, his mind still working overtime, something that was beginning to annoy his resting Lasat roommate.

After Ezra passed by his bunk another time, Zeb growled at him, "Kid, can you please do that somewhere else? You're keeping me up!"

"Sorry Zeb, I just have a lot to think about," Ezra replied hastily.

"I know you're upset about Sabine kid, but please be upset somewhere else," the tired Lasat grumbled, attempting to get comfortable.

"It just isn't fair for her!" he said, frustrated, "I mean whoever she's going to marry isn't going to marry her because they like her, they're going to marry her because she has the Darksaber! Or because she is going to be the next Countess of Clan Wren! No one will really know her!"

"Like you do?" asked Zeb.

Ezra felt his face flush, "I guess, maybe. Look Zeb, I don't know."

"There's no point in getting this upset over something you can't do anything about," pointed out Zeb, trying to get the fretting boy to be quiet.

"But isn't that terrible Zeb? I mean there has got to be _something_ we can do to help her!"

Zeb huffed and rolled over, "Then why don't you go enter that tournament and marry her _yourself,_ so I don't have to hear you pace all night long!"

Ezra stood still for a moment, pondering what Zeb just told him and his mind began to form a plan.

Why didn't he think of it before? It made perfect sense! Sabine wouldn't have to marry some sleemo who didn't care about her and he would get to be closer to her than ever before!

"Zeb, that's it! You're a genius!" he shouted excitedly and quickly rushed out of their room.

Zeb rolled over again to watch the now closed door.

"Oh karabast," he groaned, "Why did I have to say that?"

* * *

 _A/N: Karabast indeed! Since not much is known about the Mandalorian's customs in the new canon, I figured I'd play around with them a little bit. I hope this story is the right amount of fluff and cheese! Let me know what you think._


	2. Telling the Family

Ezra quietly approached Kanan's door in the Ghost's main corridor.

As he reached his hand up to knock, he heard his masters voice beckon him.

"Come in Ezra."

Ezra complied and entered Kanan's room. His master was sitting in the middle of the simple grey space in a meditative pose. His mask was sitting next to him and his unseeing eyes were closed.

Upon seeing his masters calm state, Ezra relaxed a little, letting some of his pent-up energy go.

After a moment of silence Kanan sighed, "Alright kid, what are you up too?"

Ezra's eyes widened in surprise, "How did you know I was up to something?"

Kanan scoffed, "I can practically _see_ your force signature bouncing off the walls Ezra. Also, I'm your master, I can tell when somethings up," he concluded, "So spill."

Ezra rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, I have an idea for helping Sabine out of her predicament."

When Kanan stayed silent, Ezra elaborated.

"What if I entered that tournament and married Sabine myself?"

Oh, now THAT got Kanan's attention.

His facial expression was one of surprise, which quickly twisted into amusement.

"Oh Ezra."

"What? I think it's a pretty good idea," Ezra defended himself, "If she's going to be forced into a marriage, why not get married to someone that's her age? Someone that, y'know, _actually knows and cares about her?_ "

"I know how much you care about her Ezra-"

"I know, Kanan," he interrupted, "That's why I need to help her, as a friend!"

Kanan shook his head, "No Ezra, I mean I _know_ how much you care about her."

Ezra looked at Kanan in shock, his face turning slightly red.

"Oh," was all he said.

"Yeah."

An awkward silence ensued for a moment.

After another moment, Ezra cleared his throat.

"So, uh-

"Which is why I'm not going to stop you."

"Wait, what?" Ezra blinked in confusion.

Kanan opened his now pale blue eyes, and looked in the general direction of his student, "I'm not going to stop you from going to Krownest Ezra."

"You aren't?"

Kanan shook his head, "No. You are walking down a very dangerous path. The Jedi are not looked upon fondly in Mandalorian culture, and there are going to be many that hate you for who you are. And I imagine that this tournament will be messy," Kanan hesitated, "But I know you are strong enough to face whatever challenge is thrown at you, and Sabine deserves better than what she's currently getting. I think you can succeed and I know you aren't going into this with selfish intents Ezra. That's why I trust you."

Ezra hesitated, "And about my, um, feelings?"

Kanan waved him off, "We don't need to talk about them if you don't want to."

Ezra breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at his master, "Thanks Kanan."

Kanan smiled back, "Don't mention it my young Padawan, I know what it's like to care about someone too. You'd better go tell Hera and get Sato's permission first before you go though."

Ezra nodded, "Yeah, I'd better go, I'll have to see if they let me borrow an A-wing."

"You better call up Fenn Rau and get some Mando armor as well, just so you fit in. I'd keep your identity hidden from everyone except Rau."

Ezra put a hand to his chin, "What makes you trust Rau so much?"

Kanan gave him a tight smile, "Let's just say that he owes us all one for saving his life."

Ezra snorted, "I doubt he'll see it that way."

"He's a good man, he'll help us out."

"Whatever you say Kanan," said Ezra as he began to walk out to find Hera.

"Ezra, wait a second."

Ezra stopped walking and turned back to look at his master.

"No kids before you turn twenty-one."

Ezra froze again, confused.

Then what Kanan had just implied hit him like a ton of bricks.

His face exploded into colors of red and he sputtered.

"KANAN!"

"What? It's a perfectly reasonable concern," insisted Kanan, "I mean you two are going to be married and married couples tend to have-

"Kanan! Just NO! STOP!" cried Ezra desperately.

"Ezra, if you have any questions about anything-

"I'm GOOD, thanks!" Ezra cut him off before he could even start, "Jeez Kanan, what makes you even think she'd want to do, well, _that_?"

"Maybe she cares about you more than you think?" Kanan shrugged.

Ezra blushed even harder, something that shouldn't have been possible, when he noticed the sides of Kanan's mouth were slightly turned upward.

His master thought this was _funny_!

 _He was doing this on purpose!_ Ezra fumed internally.

 _Well two can play this game!_

"Well, you shouldn't worry yourself Kanan," he began casually, "I mean I'm not like _you_ or anything, constantly sneaking into Hera's room when he thinks no one is looking, or-

Suddenly, Ezra felt his body being lifted up into the air with the force. With a yelp of surprise, he was deposited into the hallway outside of Kanan's door in a heap.

Back in the room, Kanan chuckled.

"Heh, still got it."

* * *

The Ghost's common room was quiet as Ezra entered.

Hera was sitting at the game table, nursing a drink of some kind.

As soon as she noticed Ezra's presence, she gave him a smile.

"Hey Ezra, what's up?"

Ezra fidgeted nervously, "Well, it's about Sabine," he began hesitantly.

Hera gave him a look of understanding, "Listen Ezra, I'm glad you've decided to come talk to me about this, I know how you feel about her and I know that its deeper than that crush you had on her a little while ago. I didn't want to say anything, but-

Hera stopped talking as she noticed Ezra was gaping at her.

"Err, Ezra, are you ok?"

"Seriously, you know too?!" he exclaimed.

"Of course I knew!" said Hera, matter of factly.

Ezra groaned and flung his arms out, "Does everyone in this base know?" he demanded.

Hera chuckled, "Just Kanan and I."

"Ok, how did you figure it out then?" grilled Ezra.

"Just call it mother's intuition."

Ezra raised a disbelieving eyebrow, "Kanan told you, didn't he?"

"Maybe."

Ezra shook his head vigorously, "Y'know what? It doesn't really matter because this isn't about that! It's about helping Sabine get out of this arranged marriage!"

"What do you mean Ezra?"

"I mean what if I entered that tournament and married her myself?"

Hera put a hand to her chin in thought.

"Well I suppose that could work Ezra, but this is a big responsibility."

"I know Hera, but I can do this!"

Hera shook her head, "I'm not talking about the tournament Ezra, I'm talking about marriage!"

Ezra shifted slightly again, "I haven't really thought about that too much, I just thought that it would be more of a marriage in name while Sabine and I will just be friends still."

Hera shook her head, "Marriage is more than that, especially on Mandalore. You and Sabine are going to have to get close, closer than ever before. Marriage is not something to take lightly."

"I know Hera, it's something we'll have to work out. But you know that this is better than having some having some Mando sleemo come along and snatch her up."

"I approve Ezra, but only because I know it will be for the greater good," she sighed, "Poor Sabine, she's having a lot of choices made for her right now that she can't control."

"It'll work in the end Hera, I promise."

"I hope you're right Ezra, I trust you," said Hera, "It's been difficult without Sabine, and it will be difficult without you too. But I know that this is the best option for the both of you."

Ezra nodded, "Thanks Hera."

"And one more thing."

Hera stood up and enveloped Ezra in a tight hug.

"Urgh… Hera…crushing me!" he managed to force out.

She released him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Better get going Ezra, I'll let Sato know of your plans. In the meantime, you'd better go get ready."

"Will do Hera. See you all at the landing bay?" he asked.

Hera smiled, "Of course Ezra."

* * *

It turns out that Sato was in an agreeable mood that day and he approved Ezra one of the damaged A-wings. Its guns were useless, but it had a functioning hyperdrive and shielding so it didn't really matter too much to Ezra.

Holding his bag with some essential clothing and other various things, he approached the small craft and began to load it and check its flight systems.

"Leaving so soon?" he heard a familiar deep voice ask.

Ezra looked to his side and saw his family approaching.

He shrugged at Zeb, "Yeah, I got to get going, Krownest awaits!"

He hopped down from the small A-wing and suddenly felt himself enveloped in a bear hug from Zeb.

"We're gonna miss you kid," Zeb said, squeezing him tightly.

Ezra grunted from the force of it, "Zeb, too much!"

Zeb released him with a hearty pat on the shoulder.

"Good luck Ezra," said Hera.

"Remember Ezra, trust in the force," said Kanan.

Ezra smiled, "Don't worry about me guys, this will be easy," he said confidently.

After one last goodbye hug, and one last shock from Choppers electro prod, Ezra climbed back into the A-wing and switched the engine on. Giving one last thumbs up to his family, Ezra maneuvered the craft upwards into the skies and atmosphere of Atollon.

Looking at Atollon one last time and breathing out heavily, Ezra put the coordinates to Krownest v in the Navi computer.

"Well, here go's nothing."

With that, Ezra pulled the switch and the little A-wing blasted into hyperspace.

* * *

The travel to Krownest was mercifully short, which meant Ezra didn't really have too much time to focus on the doubts that were beginning to pile up in his mind.

Such as: what if Fenn Rau doesn't agree with this plan?

Or: what if I get my butt whooped by some angry Mandalorian?

Ezra was about to sink deeper into his second thoughts when the A-wing beeped at him and the small ship tumbled out of hyper space.

 _Well, no turning back now._

 _Trust in the force._

The comm in his small cockpit fizzled to life and an authoritative voice filtered through.

" _Unidentified ship, please state your business and give the correct security codes or be shot down."_

Ezra winced. Right, he had forgotten how fantastically paranoid the Mandos were.

"Right, um, I'm here to speak to Fenn Rau on a confidential visit," he began, "These codes should be enough to get me anywhere on the planet."

Ezra actually didn't know whether that was true or not, the access codes given to the rebels by the Wren family were _supposed_ to be good, but in truth he had no idea.

After several painstaking seconds of silence, the voice came back.

" _Alright, your codes are good, might we request your name?"_

Ezra rolled his eyes, did these guys not get what the word confidential meant?

"That's going to be a no, this is a confidential meeting between me and Fenn Rau who is an old friend of mine."

" _Very well then, would you like to speak with him right now?"_

"Yes," Ezra said, almost too hastily.

A crinkling sound was heard as the call was transferred.

"Kanan, I hope you're right about Fenn," said Ezra through grit teeth.

The crinkling stopped, and Ezra heard Fenn Rau for the first time in weeks.

" _Hello, who is this? Who decided that they were important enough that they needed to speak with me personally and avoid giving their identity?"_ Fenn said, sounded slightly irritated.

"Fenn, it's me, Ezra!" Ezra hissed in response.

" _Ezra? Ezra Bridger?"_

"Yeah, that's me!"

" _Bridger, what are you doing right now? Why all this secrecy? Is this about Sabine or-_

"That doesn't matter right now, I need to talk to you alone so I can explain myself," Ezra interjected.

Fenn Rau sighed in consternation, _"You Jedi are absolutely maddening sometimes."_

"Oh, and Sabine can't know I'm here either."

" _And why not Bridger? You are acting very ridiculous-_

"Fenn, I'll explain everything on the ground," said Ezra.

Fenn sighed, _"Very well, I've sent you some coordinates for a secure landing pad."_

"Thank you, Fenn," said Ezra as he cut the connection.

"Well that went better than expected."

* * *

And it continued to go better than expected as Ezra saw where he was going to be landing.

The small, circular landing pad was actually behind where the main Clan Wren stronghold was, and had a small, modest building next to it.

 _Is this where Fenn live?_ Ezra thought to himself.

Guiding the small fighter craft, Ezra brought it to a gentle stop on the snow covered landing pad.

Fenn was already waiting for him in the shadow of the building at the edge.

Seeing Fenn's regular frown and crossed arms also filled him with a bit more hope, and seeing as how he hadn't been shot at one time by anyone, he thought this mission was going absolutely _dandy_.

"Hey," he greeted casually, with a wave of his arm.

"Why are you here?" Fenn stated bluntly.

"I see your in an impeccable mood as always Fenn," Ezra tried again.

Fenn only gave him an impatient glare.

Ezra sighed, _seems we are just business today._

"I'm here to marry Sabine."

Ezra enjoyed the way Fenn's face morphed from stoic inference to one of shock.

"Bridger, you cannot be serious."

"Yeah, actually, I am. And as a matter of fact, you are going to help me!"

"What? This is unheard of! Non-Mandalorians are not allowed to participate in this!"

Ezra shrugged, "So? Nobody has to know I'm not actually Mandalorian."

Fenn gave him a look, "Impersonating a Mandalorian is breaking every sacred code we hold."

"Jedi aren't supposed to fall in love and get married either! As a matter of fact, you could get expelled for doing something like that!" Ezra snapped back, "Yet look what I'm trying to do! We aren't exactly big on following codes!"

Fenn sighed and put a hand to his forehead, "If you win, and only _if_ you win, you could be exempt from any kind of punishment, and there have been cases of non-Mandalorians becoming Mandalorians through marriage. But if you lose and your identity is discovered, there will be hell to pay."

Ezra crinkled his brow, "You're speaking as if you're going to help me."

"Because I am!"

Now it was Ezra's turn to gape, he hadn't expected Fenn to agree so quickly.

Fenn beckoned Ezra to follow him into the building and Ezra, still confused, decided to keep silent and follow him.

The house was as spartan as Ezra had expected it to be. The only decorations were old war trophies and memorabilia, other than that, the walls were bare. The furniture was built to last and didn't look terribly comfortable.

Ezra continued to follow him deeper into the house and they eventually came upon a room.

It was _filled_ to the brim with the blue and grey trims of the Mandalorian Protector's armor.

"Woah," Ezra gaped.

"Pick one that is your size," Fenn gestured.

Ezra was about to oblige him, when he stopped himself.

"Why are you helping me?"

Fenn hesitated, "When I suggested the idea of this tournament, I told Sabine that we needed to find someone who perfectly complimented her, someone who could match her strength and resolve. I didn't think that there would really be anyone that could," Fenn eyed Ezra, "But then you came along."

"Me?" Ezra asked.

Fenn nodded, "When I heard your voice over the comm, I wondered what would happen if you tried to join this tournament and won. Of course, I didn't really believe that you would be as insane to even attempt do so, but dealing in hypotheticals is what I am good at nowadays."

"And what did you see then?" asked Ezra, curious as to what Rau would say.

"I saw you and her work in tandem with each other against Gar Saxon. I saw you two banter and work together against the Empire. I saw you train Sabine in the art of the blade and how you two practically moved as one. I've seen you pledge your loyalty to her and I also saw you willingly give her your lightsaber to fight Saxon, something that I know is very hard for a Jedi to do," Fenn picked up and examined a helmet and then turned towards Ezra, "So as utterly ridiculous as this is, and no matter how utterly detestable I may have believed you were, I cannot see a more perfect candidate for Sabine than you."

And with that he handed the blue helmet to Ezra.

Ezra was speechless.

"I-I don't know what to say to that," he said, his cheeks warm.

"Mandalore must adapt and change, for almost all of our history, we have pushed and even punished outsiders. We alienated the galaxy and we paid the price for our arrogance. And then we turned on ourselves and we lost our way entirely," said Fenn sadly, "Now, we kill each other at the Empire's manipulation and with it, we are weakened.

"Did you just, criticize Mandalorian culture?" asked Ezra, flabbergasted.

"Did you not just criticize the Jedi code?" Fenn rebuffed, "Staying static will get us all killed, just like what happened to the Jedi order of old."

Ezra shifted on the balls of his feet and put a hand to his chin in thought.

"So, what does this mean?"

"It means that I believe Sabine is brave and foolish enough to lead our people, and she is going to need someone as brave and foolish as her at her side. And that person is you Ezra Bridger," he clapped his hand on Ezra's shoulder, "I may not have said anything before, but you have shown your bravery through your actions. And the sheer audacity you displayed by coming here and suggesting all the things you did proves your utter foolishness. You have earned my respect Bridger."

And with that Fenn granted Ezra the first smile he had given him.

Ezra returned the smile and looked down at the helmet he had been given, "I won't let you or your people down Fenn, I promise."

Fenn chuckled, "Good, I'll leave you too it then."

And with that, he turned and left Ezra to sort through the armor.

* * *

Once Ezra had finished, he stepped out into the main room of what was presumably Fenn's house.

"So, how do I look?" asked Ezra, his helmet making his voice sound filtered, as he crossed his arms in the signature Mandalorian pose.

"Properly Mandalorian actually, though you move as if you have never worn the armor before," Fenn replied.

"Yeah, well I haven't really worn any armor up to this point! How quickly do you think I can get accustomed to this?"

Fenn shrugged, "Hopefully soon Bridger, our armor is like a second skin to us Mandalorians and if you are going to survive this tournament you are going to need this armor."

"Never needed armor before," Ezra commented, "I always had the force as my guide."

"Well you can't use it here, at least not openly," said Fenn, "Any kind of force use will have to be reflexes only."

"I kinda figured that," Ezra suddenly looked anxious, "Oh, um, hey Fenn?"

"Yes Bridger?"

"Where am I supposed to stay and sleep?"

Fenn suddenly laughed, "My, but you didn't prepare for this at all did you?"

Ezra grinned sheepishly, "Not really, no."

Shaking his head, Fenn gesture to a doorway behind Ezra, "You can stay here, in one of the guest bedrooms, this is my house after all."

The doorway chimed after Fenn stopped talking and Fenn turned around.

"Come in, it's open!"

"Fenn!" Ezra hissed.

"What? You need to get acquainted to some other Mandalorians."

"Fenn, this is not the time-

The door opened, and Ezra stopped talking immediately as he saw who had just came through.

It was a helmetless Sabine, looking chilled from the frozen elements outside.

"Hey Fenn? I was wondering if you could help me with-

Sabine stopped talking as soon as she noticed the now fully armored and helmeted Ezra and she gave Rau a quizzical look.

"Uh, Fenn? Who is this?"

* * *

 _A/N: Every story that has some kind of tournament needs a coach right? Looks like Fenn is going to be that guy. And Kanan is still a complete troll. Let me know what you thought about this chapter!_

 _Merry Christmas and make sure to watch the Star Wars Holiday Special!_

 _STIR WHIP, STIR WHIP_

 _WHIP WHIP, STIR_


	3. First Impressions

Ezra gave Sabine a one-over from behind his borrowed Mandalorian helmet.

He hadn't seen her for weeks, and by the force was she still beautiful.

Sure, she hadn't really changed her appearance at all from what Ezra could tell, her hair was still the light pink color it had been, and her armor was still painted the same colors as before. Her eyes still held that same glint of mischief and beneath her armor, her body was as lean and powerful as he remembered it.

Force, she was _perfect_.

Fenn Rau gestured to him and introduced him to Sabine.

"Sabine Wren, this is Jocaster Aldine, and he is the first person to show up here to compete in our little contest.

Ezra groaned internally, who in blazes was Jocaster Aldine?

Well for right now, it was him apparently.

"I thought the Protectors were all wiped out," Sabine pointed out, not failing to miss the distinct blue of the armor that the newcomer wore.

"Not all of us," said Fenn, "After we, ahem, made the _mistake_ of attacking your force of A-wings when we first encountered you, we ended up salvaging some of the fighters. I gave one of them to Jocaster here, as we were low on ships. Jocaster was off world when the massacre happened."

Sabine thought about this for a second, then seemed to accept his answer with a shrug.

Ezra breathed a sigh of relief. Who knew Fenn Rau was so good at bullshitting his way out of things? Then again considering how long he dealt with the Empire, it probably shouldn't have been a surprise.

"Does he speak?" asked Sabine, eyeing the newcomer with apprehension.

Ezra was suddenly jolted away from his thoughts as Sabine looked at him expectantly.

 _Think Bridger, think!_

"Terribly sorry," he said, silently thanking the force that his new helmet masked his voice enough to sound different, "I was distracted."

 _That should buy me enough time to think of a proper excuse._

"By what?" asked Sabine.

Ezra frowned, he had known Sabine long enough that he could make out her moods. And right now, she seemed… _annoyed_.

 _She must think I'm going to say I was distracted by her beauty or something!_

Truth be told, he was considering it, but then memories of Sabine giving him the cold shoulder gave him pause.

 _What would leave a good first impression?_

"I was observing your… armor. I've never seen a more unique set in the entirety of my life!" he said instead.

Sabine kept her impassive face, but the corners of her mouth twitched upward slightly, and Ezra could feel her twinge slightly with delight through the force at his compliment.

If there was one thing that Sabine loved, it was her individuality and art, and often times the two went hand in hand.

And Sabine had not expected to be complimented on it.

 _Score one for Ezra._

"You know, after all the meatheads I was just forced to greet, I didn't expect that," admitted Sabine holding her hand out for Ezra to shake which he obliged her.

"Meatheads?" asked Fenn.

Sabine nodded, "Yes, meatheads," she pointed to Ezra, "He's not the first competitor to arrive."

"Really?" asked Fenn, "How many are there so far?"

"About twenty," said Sabine, "And so far, none of them have really impressed, well all except for you," she indicated Ezra.

Seizing the opportunity, Ezra decided to pour on the classic Ezra charm.

"Wait, you thought I was gonna say something corny like that too?" asked Ezra in a mock offended tone.

Ezra got on one knee and put a hand to his heart in an exaggerated, "My lady, your beauty blots out the sun!" he gasped sarcastically.

Sabine actually let out a laugh at that, it was a short, girly laugh that you didn't hear. Getting Sabine to smile was sometimes tough and laughs were a rare commodity indeed.

 _Score two for Ezra_.

"Well, I have to say, it's been like that for about thirty minutes."

"That sounds terrible," he said, and he meant it too.

"So, why have you decided to compete for my, well, heart?" asked Sabine, now closing herself off again as she seemed to remember the reason he was here.

 _Hmmm._

"Well, aside from your looks, I have no love for the Empire and I've heard about your exploits with the rebels. After Clan Wren's revolt and the destruction of the Protectors, well let's just say I want to help. And in hearing about your unfortunate situation, I decided I'd join this contest to see if I can't give you a husband who's not a complete idiot."

"I see," said Sabine nodding and apparently accepting his answer, "Well Fenn, since you are partly responsible for putting me in this, you get to meet everyone else!"

"Very well," said Fenn with a sigh, "Lead the way then Sabine."

Sabine then turned and walked out Fenn's front door, trailed closely by Fenn and Ezra.

As they walked down the snowy pathway, Ezra stayed silent as the two argued about something.

So far, Ezra had made a pretty good impression, especially after hearing what Sabine thought about the others.

Man, he was pretty good at this wasn't he?

 _Yeah, keep telling yourself that Bridger,_ his internal voice teased, _if you were good at it, then Sabine wouldn't have continually shown you the door._

Still, he had made some progress and Sabine seemingly didn't hate him.

Now all he had to do was not get killed in this tournament.

* * *

The Wren stronghold was just as Ezra had remembered it. The room that housed Sabine's mothers chair was filled to the brim with Mandalorians, only this time, there were Mandalorians from several different clans. There were of course plenty of Mandos from Clan Wren, but judging by all the different colors and armor designs, not all of them were.

Fenn, instead of talking elected to drag Sabine to the elevated position of Ursa's throne and motioned for her to take a seat.

Ezra stood near the bottom, slightly away from all the others, though he could feel some of them giving him looks.

"Alright!" shouted Fenn, "Our tournament will be beginning in three days and I'd like for you to know the rules."

The chatter amongst the warriors, mercenaries, and bounty hunters died down as they gave Fenn full attention.

"Now, I don't think I need to remind you of what will happen if you are to win this tournament, not only will you get the esteemed position of next in line to the position of Count, but you will get Sabine's hand in marriage."

Whoops and hollers sounded out through the hall and Ezra had to keep himself from cringing.

Not a single one of these people were here because they loved Sabine, they all wanted the promise of a pretty girl and a position of power.

Of course, Ezra had sort of been like that when he had first met Sabine, but even when he was at his youngest and most foolish he still had a healthy respect for her.

Not a single one of these Mandos cared about her for real.

Sabine could tell too, and though her face was hidden behind her mask, Ezra could feel her seething with anger and agitation.

She absolutely hated this.

This in turn filled Ezra with more determination.

He could not, no _would not_ fail here.

Hesitating, Ezra sent her a wave of calm and reassurance through the force and was pleased to find that she received it well, her anger beginning to subside.

But then Sabine turned and stared directly at him.

And Ezra stared back.

Though they couldn't see each other's eyes, they were still trapped in some sort of strange spell.

It was as if she _knew_ that he was responsible for her sudden calm.

For a while they were like that as Fenn Rau discussed the rules of the tournament.

Eventually though, the spell was broken when Fenn nudged her and motioned that they were done.

And with that, Ezra decided to take a look at his competition.

They all looked like typical Mandalorians, all clumped together by clan.

Yet, a few of them stood apart from the rest of the warriors.

One of them was larger, bulkier than the rest and he had a few other members of his respected clan around him as the others eyed him.

Cuts and various other marks littered his armor and he had an air of superiority that surrounded him, as if he knew he was the best of them.

 _I've got to keep an eye on him for sure,_ thought Ezra.

Another one that Ezra noticed was also wearing the same red markings as the large man, except this one was smaller, and leaner in appearance. Similar cuts were on his armor and he had several blades attached to his armor.

The force flowed dangerously around this guy though.

 _Strange…_

"Hey, Protector!"

With a jolt of surprise, Ezra realized he was being spoken too.

Turning around slowly, the hulk that Ezra had spotted earlier was shouting at him, his large hands holding his now removed helmet

The man looked at Ezra with slanted eyes, "Don't see many of your kind around Protector. Rau was supposed to be the last of his kind. Though looking at you, Rau may soon find himself as the last of his kind once more."

His last words could have been taken as a banter, but judging by the mans very real loathing in the force and his harsh tone of voice, that wasn't the case.

Ezra had no idea what this guys problem was, so he went for a more passive approach.

"I have no quarrel with you, besides this tournament," he said trying to potentially diffuse a situation.

The man snorted, "Oh, I've got a bone to pick with you Protector scum."

Ezra began to panic slightly as the whole of the clan gave him dirty looks.

In any other context, Ezra would have laughed at the strangeness of the situation. An entire group of mighty Mandalorian warriors angry at him because he was a Protector, when in fact he wasn't.

Why these orange armored warriors didn't like the Protectors was beyond Ezra's knowledge, and even if he had the knowledge, he probably still wouldn't understand.

As the first Mandalorian he had met, Ezra had always thought Sabine was confusing and had chalked it up to her being a girl. That particular bit of wisdom stemmed from an old memory of his father jokingly shrugging and exclaiming, "women!" on the rare occasion he witnessed the two of his parents get into an argument (arguments his mother would always win, he had to add).

But now, after spending time with her peers, Ezra could now definitively say that Sabine's confusing nature came about because of her Mandalorian heritage.

Before things could get out of hand, Fenn Rau suddenly reappeared and stepped in between Ezra and the orange-tinged Mandalorians.

"Is there a problem here?" he asked.

"Not at all, Rau," the hulking man replied, saying the name Rau as distastefully as possible.

Fenn expression darkened, "Just remember, I have the power to remove you from this planet," he threatened with a menacing glare.

The small band of Mandalorians soon found themselves receiving dirty looks in turn from the members of Clan Wren that were also assembled.

"I understand Rau," the man responded, backing down from his aggressive stance, he then gave a sinister looking grin, "Just a little, _friendly_ , competition, that's all."

Fenn's expression of distrust did not waver, "I'm sure."

The man put his helmet back on and motioned for his fellow clan member to follow him, and they all exited the building single file.

With that, the tension in the room died down and Ezra gave out a sigh of relief.

"Fenn-," he began to ask, but the older man quickly shook his head.

"Not here, lets get back to my place and I'll explain some things to you."

Shrugging, Ezra complied and trotted after Fenn as he began to navigate his way back to where Ezra had first greeted him.

* * *

"Well, I met the candidates today Hera," said Sabine over the holocall.

Seeing as how her mother was currently gone on a mission, Fenn Rau was doing who knows what, and Tristan was organizing a cell on Mandalore proper, Sabine had been left alone.

Only problem was, Sabine needed to talk to someone, even for a short amount of time, about what was going on.

So, like what happened yesterday, she decided to call up Hera again and was pleased to find that Hera had a free moment, though the Twilek informed her that she didn't have much time to talk.

"So, what did you think?" asked Hera.

Sabine huffed, "They've all pretended like they care, but none of them really do."

"Not one of them?" asked Hera.

"They're all fakes, hacks! Even some from my own Clan!" exclaimed Sabine, "I couldn't believe it."

Then Sabine hesitated, as if she was forgetting something.

"Well, actually Hera, now that I think about, there was one guy who was a little different."

Hera gave her a neutral expression, "What do you mean Sabine?"

"I found him with Fenn Rau actually, he was wearing Protector armor. His name was Jocaster I think, and he was surprisingly nice, he even complimented the art on my armor."

Hera gave an almost… knowing smile?

"He sounds like quite the charmer," she said.

Sabine scoffed, "They're all quite the charmers, but this guy felt, I don't know, genuine I guess?" Sabine then put a hand to her chin in thought, "He also felt really familiar for some reason, I can't think of why though."

"Well, maybe he'll be the one to win?"

Sabine thought about that for a minute. The Protectors were known for their competence on the battlefield, and she suspected that this Jocaster fellow was no different.

She was then brought back to the little staring contest with him and how his presence seemingly calmed her down. Why was this guy so strangely familiar?

Karabast, but Sabine was confused.

"I guess, I mean, I hardly know anything about the guy at all, so I'm not sure if I would be happy," Sabine began, "But, so far he's a lot better than all the others."

"Have you seen what he looks like? Is he handsome?" asked Hera, probing for more info.

"I actually haven't seen his face yet," Sabine admitted, then she shook her head, "I suppose it doesn't really matter anyway."

"As you say Sabine."

Seemingly done with this direction the conversation was going in, Sabine abruptly changed it.

"So, where is everyone else?"

"Well, Kanan and Zeb are out with Rex repairing some sensor nodes," Hera gestured behind her, "And Chopper is recalibrating the steering on the Ghost."

"What about Ezra?" asked Sabine.

"He's out scouting the perimeter, he won't be back for a little while," Hera responded.

"Oh, I see," Sabine replied, desperately hoping the disappointment in her voice didn't show.

Unfortunately for Sabine, Hera definitely noticed as she gave Sabine a knowing smile.

"I can tell that you still really miss him," she pointed out.

Sabine sighed, "Well, yeah! I miss all you guys!"

Hera raised her eyebrow, "That's not what I meant, and I think you know that."

Sabine chewed on her lip in silence as she tried to figure out how to worm her way out of this conversation.

"I just wish he was here," Sabine finally admitted, "It would be nice to have somebody that I truly depend on," then realizing her mistake, she quickly added, "Not that I can't depend on you guys or anything."

"I understand," said Hera, "He is the closest to your age after all."

"Glad you understand," said Sabine, pausing again for a second before asking another question, "Speaking of Ezra, how did he take the news of my, well, _situation_?"

"Well, it's part of the reason he's _out_ right now."

Sabine let her smile drop, "Not taking it very well?"

"He's angry about the whole situation, but he'll be fine, I know it."

Sabine noted that Hera had left out whether he was angry that Sabine was in this situation, or if he was angry that _he_ didn't get to marry Sabine.

Ezra's raging crush on Sabine had seemingly died down and for a while Sabine had thought the blue-haired teenager was over her. However, as the two of them got closer, Sabine began to catch little things that hinted that he still had an attraction to her. Things like a gaze that was held to long, a compliment that was way too complimentary, him intentionally showing off to impress her, and him pretending that he wasn't staring at her, when he very clearly was.

Sabine had to guess it was a mixture of the two aforementioned reasons that Ezra was seemingly upset.

Truth be told, a part of her _liked_ that fact that Ezra still well, _liked_ her. Ezra was a hell of a lot shyer than he let on, though he was nowhere near how closed off Sabine was. And that seemed to especially apply in regard to his feelings.

So, when Ezra did one of the little things that hinted at his feelings for her, she was secretly pleased.

She supposed it was only natural after all, a cute boy was pining after her.

 _Wait, what did I just say Ezra was?_

"Well, I'm afraid our time is up right now," Hera suddenly pulled her out of her thoughts and back to reality, "I know the others wanted to say something, but we really have to get going. Duty calls."

"See you all around!" said Sabine as the feed abruptly cut and she was left alone with her conflicted feelings.

* * *

 _A/N: This one was weirdly hard to write for some reason, I had a bad case of writers block, which shouldn't surprise me considering the fact that I started this story with only the concept, a few of the circumstances, and of course the ending all figured out._

 _Even still, let me know what you thought about this chapter._

 _If you're following me as an author, there should be an update for my other story Operation: Brave New World that will be up either Monday (technically today) or Tuesday, that one will also contain some Sabine and Ezra moments lol._

 _Thanks for the love!_


	4. Lessons

"What was that?" asked Ezra, giving Fenn a raised eyebrow.

Fenn sighed as he leaned back against the wall as he thought of a way to answer Ezra's waiting question.

"Those kind gentlemen were from Clan Yun," he started out, "They are not fans of the Protectors."

Ezra groaned, "I could tell, why?"

Fenn chuckled lightly at the teenager's consternation, "Well, have you ever heard of Death Watch?"

Ezra scrunched his face up in thought, "Wasn't Sabine's mother in Death Watch? I remember her mentioning Ursa was in that group."

"Indeed, she was, but Death Watch accepted many warriors in its relatively short existence."

"Ok, then what is Death Watch and how do they and this Clan Yun relate to the Protectors?" asked Ezra, growing more frustrated.

"Death Watch were a terrorist group during the Clone Wars that resided on Concordia, their purpose was to remove the pacifist Satine Kryze from power and bring Mandalore back to its former glory."

Ezra snorted, "A Mandalorian pacifist? That's hilarious Rau, but please take this seriously here."

Rau gave Ezra look that told him that he was in fact being serious and was now miffed at being interrupted by a rude teenager.

"Ok, so you _are_ being serious," gaped Ezra with astonishment.

"As I was _saying_ ," Fenn growled, "The Death Watch had people from many of the clans and houses. However, one clan extensively had a tradition of sending warriors to Concordia and that clan was Clan Yun."

"So, Yun did not like Satine, did the Protectors like this Satine lady?" asked Ezra.

"They were her personal body guards," deadpanned Fenn.

Ezra put his hands to his face in annoyance, "I think I finally get how you Mandalorians function."

"You do?"

Ezra brought his hands away from his face, "Yeah, I get it now! Just think of what a logical person would do in a scenario and then do the exact opposite!"

"That is _not_ how we operate at all!" exclaimed Rau, outraged.

"Who in their right mind keeps a nearly two-decade old grudge over things that cannot possibly matter?!" retorted Ezra.

Rau looked he was about to angrily deny Ezra's question, but he stopped himself when a shadow clothed the room in a slight amount of darkness and they both glanced out the window.

The sun that provided light, but not enough warmth to melt the snow, was beginning to set, beginning to cast a mild pink color through the thin clouds.

Fenn sighed, "It's getting to be late here, I would recommend you rest now. You will need your full strength for tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? What's happening tomorrow?"

"I am going to teach you how a Mandalorian fights."

Ezra raised an eyebrow, "You seriously think you can teach me to fight like you in under three days? You can't be serious."

"You're right, I can't Bridger, but I can show you how one of your opponents may fight, tell me, how proficient are you in hand to hand?"

Ezra shrugged, "Fairly good I'd say, the force helps out a lot in terms of my reflexes and my strength."

"Your abilities will give you an edge over your opponents, but not enough in my opinion. I am going to tell you these men fight," said Fenn.

"Isn't that a bit underhanded?" asked Ezra.

"Everything about this is underhanded," answered Fenn, "Now, that room right behind you is yours, get some sleep."

Ezra gave Fenn a mock salute, "Can do Captain."

* * *

Morning came early for Ezra, who was quite tired out from the previous day's proceedings. As soon as he got done cleaning up in the guest fresher and dressed in his newly acquired armor, he exited his guest quarters to find an empty house.

Fenn had lift a holo note on the table of his kitchen that lit up as soon as Ezra approached.

 _Jocaster, breakfast will be in the main area of the stronghold, grab some and meet me at these coordinates._

Ezra was confused for a moment as to who the note was addressed too, but quickly remembered.

"Right, I'm Jocaster now," he deadpanned, and then took off in a sprint towards the main living area of the Wrens.

As soon as Ezra entered the building, a strong, tantalizing smell hit his nose through the filtration system in his helmet.

Several tables had been hastily assembled around a buffet of Mandalorian breakfast food.

Ezra had no clue what any of them were, but boy, he could tell they were all great in some form or another.

Quickly grabbing a tray and selecting what smelled best to him, he made a quick pace towards the exit before any undesirable people could decide that he was a target for them.

Of course, things never seemed to go quite right for Ezra and he bumped into someone as he rounded a corner.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't see you…" he began to apologize as he noticed who he had bumped into.

"…there," he finished, as his brightly colored, Mandalorian crush got her balance back.

Sabine gave him a reassuring smile, "It's alright, I wasn't paying much attention to where I was walking either."

"Right, well, I really gotta get going," he said, trying to avoid conversation, but he was stopped when Sabine gripped his arm forcefully.

 _Oh sithspit._

"Hey, where are you off to so soon, huh?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Nowhere important," replied Ezra weakly.

Sabine's face brightened, "Well then, in that case it shouldn't be too much to ask you to join me then."

"Um, well, I…" Ezra started to backtrack, but Sabine interrupted him.

"Because, I am _not_ eating in there, and I was hoping for some decent company because mother is gone on her mission, Tristan is off on Mandalore, and Fenn is Manda know where."

"Actually Sabine," said Ezra cutting her off, "It is important, Fenn wanted me to meet him in a bit."

Sabine looked slightly disappointed, "Protector stuff, right?" she asked.

Ezra nodded, "Yeah, Protector stuff."

Sabine shrugged and turned to get some food.

Ezra's mind raced, it wouldn't do to have Sabine disappointed in him. She and "Jocaster" needed to start connecting if he wanted to have even a slight chance of not becoming Jedi stew when she discovered who he was.

"Wait Sabine!"

She turned and gave him a one over.

"If you want some company, we could spar sometime tomorrow, how about that?" he asked.

Sabine shrugged again, "Sure, sounds fine to me. Nothing like beating up your potential future husband to get you going."

Ezra snorted, "That won't be happening anytime soon Wren."

"It better not, or I'm gonna be stuck with random Meathead Mando number five," she quipped, and then she disappeared around another corner.

 _She hasn't changed a bit_ , thought Ezra, smiling to himself as he prepared himself for whatever Fenn had in store.

The place Fenn had decided that they were going to occupy was a small, gym-like square room. There was a console near the center of the room surrounded by various bits of work out equipment.

Fenn was currently sitting down on a bench near the console and when he saw Ezra, he beckoned him, "Bridger! Come here and have a seat. You can eat right here."

"Isn't eating before any kind of training a bad idea?" asked Ezra.

"It most definitely is," Fenn agreed, "Which is why today is just a lesson, I've analyzed some of the opponents you are going to face and their histories."

Ezra sat down and dug into what looked like a biscuit, "Alrigh," he said while chewing, "Wadya haf fer mh?"

Fenn gave him a look of disgust, "Do you have no manners at all? Who taught you to eat like that?"

Ezra swallowed his food and gave Fenn a raised eyebrow, "Well, seeing as how my parents are _dead_ , I didn't really get the chance to learn!"

Fenn looked at him in shock as he processed Ezra's words.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," he said to Ezra, looking ashamed.

Ezra sighed, "It's fine, you didn't know, don't get all chocked up about it."

Fenn nodded, and filed away that tidbit of information about Ezra into the back of his mind, "Well, there are two key opponents that I think you are going to worry about."

Two pictures of the two people Ezra had encountered earlier came up onto the screen.

"These two guys," Ezra growled.

Fenn nodded, "Yes, these two. Despite their disdain for the Protectors and me, I have to admit that they have impressive records," Fenn gestured to the large orange armored man, "This is Jaden Yun. Large, powerful, and a sponge for damage. This guy can take hits like no other from what little I've seen of him fight."

Then Fenn gestured to the smaller man, "And this is Tal Yun, a real nasty piece of work, agile, cunning, and very good with knives."

"Where did you get all this info about these guys?" asked Ezra, his interest piqued.

"These guys were originally mercs for hire, now that the civil war has started up, they returned to fight with their clan," Fenn explained, "This is all info they've shared to attract potential customers."

"Right."

"They even have some footage of themselves fighting. Of course, to understand them, you are going to need to understand the various forms of Mandalorian close combat.

"Sabine actually taught me some of it," said Ezra.

"Then we'll jog your memory."

And with that the lesson began.


	5. A Secluded Place

_Where is he?_ thought Sabine.

Jocaster had told her to meet him here, here on the outskirts of the Clan Wren stronghold.

It was a small clearing, surrounded by trees on all sides with a small pathway leading back to the stronghold.

Sabine remembered that this was a place where she used to go when she was younger during the warmer months on Krownest; it was a beautiful, serene place, perfect for painting in solitude.

How Jocaster found it, she didn't know, only her parents and Tristan knew about it.

"Hey!"

Sabine looked up from the log where she was sitting to see Jocaster, fully armored with his helmet equipped.

Raising an eyebrow at him, "Hey yourself. You're late."

Jocaster shrugged, "By what, thirty seconds?"

"Forty-three," Sabine deadpanned.

Jocaster snorted, "Well, I am very sorry for keeping you waiting for so long."

"Don't worry about it to much," said Sabine, then she gestured towards his head, "Go ahead and take your helmet off."

Jocaster shook his head, "Nope, don't think so."

Sabine sighed, apparently getting him to cooperate would be difficult, "And why not?"

"I'm afraid my handsomeness needs to be contained at all times," Jocaster sighed dramatically.

Sabine just gave him an unimpressed stare.

Jocaster deflated a little bit, "Man, nothing?"

Sabine chuckled a little as she picked up her helmet and put it on.

"Tell you what, how about we leave the awful jokes for later and get right into the fighting then?" she suggested.

"Sounds good to me," replied Jocaster, "Just fists?"

"Just a little friendly sparring, that's all," said Sabine, readying her fists as Jocaster did the same.

Oh, it would be friendly alright, that is until Sabine ripped his helmet off and finally discovered just who this guy was.

Without any hesitation Sabine sprang forward to attack, aiming for his right side, only to switch to his left in a feint.

Unfortunately for her, Jocaster saw it coming at the last second and quickly brought his armored arm to block her well-aimed attack and using his other hand to push her away from him with almost super human strength.

Sabine was thrown back a few feet and she looked at an unmoved Jocaster in surprise, this guy was fast!

Jocaster beckoned her forward with his finger and she obliged him, going on the attack once more.

The fight seemed to last for hours, eventually becoming less of a fight and more of a dance.

For Sabine, it was astonishing to her how familiar it felt to her. It seemed like Jocaster knew every move she was going to make, every feint, every dodge, every punch, or kick, even though he had never fought her before. Yet, in a strange sort of way, she seemed to know what he was going to do as well, like they had been sparring for years.

Of course, this only served to increase Sabine's curiosity. How did he know her moves and how did she know his?

Sabine frowned under her helmet as she block another one of his attacks. If she was going to get his helmet off she needed to get creative.

Suddenly, she backed up several paces and the two warriors were now in the same position they were at the beginning of their brawl.

An idea suddenly popped into her head and she charged again at Jocaster in a repeat of recent history. Jocaster once again steeled himself for her last-minute reversal.

Only this time, this attack wasn't a feint.

Jocaster seemed to realize this, but by the time he did it was too late, and Sabine slammed right into him, knocking him over with her on top of him.

Sabine's arms shot forward and she moved to grab the sides of his helmet and finally reveal who he was.

 _Gotcha_ , she smirked as she moved to rip his helmet off.

The helmet didn't budge.

Shocked, Sabine finally noticed that Jocaster had his own hands firmly grasping her own wrists, preventing her from moving.

"Y'know, hate to point this out, but the honeymoon comes after the marriage," Jocaster managed to force out.

It was at that point that Sabine noticed that her butt was firmly planted on his crotch and that they were _awfully_ close.

Sabine quickly scrambled off of him, abandoning her quest to unmask him, and she quickly dusted herself off, ignoring the blush that was beginning to spread onto her face.

"Nice try," she heard Jocaster say as he stood up.

They were both facing each other now, panting a little from the duel.

She shrugged, "I'm going to figure out who you really are at some point, why not now?"

Jocaster shook his head, "Not yet, I can't."

Sabine removed her helmet to fix him with a fierce stare, "And why not?"

Jocaster hesitated, "Let's just say my anonymity will help the both of us in the longer run. You'll just have to trust me on that one."

Sabine grunted, "Right, well, at least I can trust in the fact that you fight good."

"Fight _well_ ," Jocaster corrected.

Sabine gave him a flabbergasted look at his correction, "Seriously?"

Jocaster rubbed the back of his helmeted neck, "Force of habit."

"What, being an ass?" Sabine asked, though she was smirking in amusement.

Jocaster laughed, "Yeah, something like that."

"How did you find this place?" asked Sabine.

The blue armored Mandalorian looked down at his wrist, "That'll be a story for another time, I've got to get going, Fenn Rau is expecting me after all."

"Oh, I see," said Sabine, once again frustrated by his evasiveness.

"Right, well, see you around!" he chirped and with that he turned and hustled in the direction of the Clan Wren stronghold.

Sabine for her part simply sat back down onto the log she had been sitting on previously.

She hadn't really learned all that much about Jocaster, at least not what she hoped that she would have learned.

 _How did he know to come to this place?_

The question once again went through her mind once more.

Like she had thought earlier, only her parents and Tristan knew about this place.

 _That's not true_ , she suddenly remembered.

"One other person did know," she whispered to herself as she closed her eyes and a memory from not so long ago flooded into her mind almost instantaneously.

It had been a few hours after she had defeated Saxon and she was in this exact same spot as she was now…

* * *

" _Hey."_

 _Sabine looked up to see Ezra approaching her, his boots crunching the snow._

 _It was nighttime on Krownest, and it was cold as well, though this was alleviated by the portable thermal heater Sabine brought with her, which let off a low, comfortable glow._

" _Hey Ezra," Sabine greeted him, patting the spot next to her for him to sit, "How did you find me all the way out here?"_

 _It was a secluded place, Sabine hadn't told anyone else about it at all._

 _Ezra gave her a sheepish grin as he sat down next to her, "I could sense you."_

" _I'm not sure what to say to that," said Sabine, surprised._

" _I asked Kanan about it," said Ezra, "He said he has the same thing with Hera, where he can feel her emotions because of their connection. Us Jedi can apparently sense the emotions of those that we care deeply about."_

 _Sabine was once again stunned, "Ezra, I-_

" _Anyways," said Ezra, cutting her off as his face turned red, "I felt turmoil coming from you, the same I felt during our training."_

 _Sabine sighed, "Its just everything you know? My mother and brother accepting me, the Darksaber, its just everything is happening so fast, I just don't really know what to make of it!"_

" _Yeah, it has been kind of crazy," Ezra agreed._

 _They sat there for a few seconds in silence._

" _Hey, Ezra?" Sabine asked him._

" _Yeah?"_

" _I just want to say I'm sorry."_

 _Ezra raised his eyebrows, "Sorry for what?"_

" _On Atollon, you came to seek me out after Kanan bested me. I hurt you when I told you I didn't want to talk about my parents and you reminded me that at least I still had mine. That was wrong, and it's been bugging me for a while," Sabine said, looking down at her feet, ashamed._

" _It's ok."_

" _No, it isn't ok," Sabine argued, "You've been there for me and you just wanted to help, and I pushed you away and-_

" _Sabine," said Ezra more forcefully, "You aren't perfect, no one is. Kanan taught the both of us that. We can't dwell on the past, otherwise we won't have time to fight for the present."_

 _Sabine looked up at Ezra and her eyes met his. Sabine was suddenly stunned by how much Ezra had grown. He was now about the same height as her, his face had begun to get longer and more chiseled in appearance. His eyes still had the same boyish glint to them, but there were much deeper undertones of loss, victory, and a newfound maturity from fighting his whole life._

 _Sabine smiled at him, "When did you get to be so wise, Ezra Bridger?"_

 _Ezra grinned back, "I think Kanan has been rubbing off on me."_

" _Now that's a mystery, how Kanan of all people got to be wise," said Sabine._

 _They both shared a chuckle at that._

 _Ezra sighed as their laughter died down, "Well I suppose we should probably head back, it is kinda late and-_

 _Ezra was cut off as Sabine suddenly hugged him._

" _Thanks Ezra."_

 _Ezra looked down at the girl that he cared for more than anyone else. His partner, his best friend, his confident. They had been through hell and back and could count on one another to help the other at all times. And with Sabines recent emotional purging, it felt like a dam had burst. Sabine had never been good at letting out her emotions, but right now, she was telling him that they had an unbreakable bond._

 _Ezra smiled as he brought his arms around her body to reciprocate the hug._

" _Always Sabine, always."_

* * *

 _A/N: What a nightmare, 2 months! This chapter was a complete pain to write and I'm still not 100 hundred percent happy with it! It's still far too short, but eh, what are you gonna do?_

 _A lot has happened in two months, and I'm not sure if I will have this story follow the canon events of the finale or not, we will just have to wait and see._

 _Anyways, I just always found it weird that Sabine and Ezra never really addressed their argument they had on Atollon when Ezra points out that Sabine still has parents to return to after she pushes him away. Also, Ezra did get a hug now, instead of just Kanan getting one from Sabine._

 _In case you have all forgotten (it has been 2 months) this story takes place before the battle of Atollon and Jocaster is Ezra in disguise._

 _Hopefully it won't take as long to get another chapter out._

 _Thank you for the love and support, give me feedback!_


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